E.8 Dynamic Index Weights - One of the Best New Features

QuickFinder has added the ability to specify an “index weight” value on a query-by-query basis in addition to the “index weight” value defined as a default when configuring the index. The new syntax is:

&index=indexName1;indexName2:###&index=indexName3:###;indexName4 

In other words, the &index= parameter can be sent multiple times; each occurrence can specify multiple indexes; and each index can include an optional weight value (:###). Weight values can range from 1 to 200.

The importance of the new weight value should not be overlooked. Search admins can now choose to place emphasis on a particular index by boosting its index weight value w/o excluding other indexes from the search as they’ve had to do in the past. Yet on a different part of the web site, they may choose to boost another index from the list...but always searching the same indexes. In this manner, admins are no longer forced to eliminate “other” results by having users “select” the index to search in; they can now simply “emphasize” particular results as the needs may arise. Note that the new index weight values (:###) override the like-named defaults specified in the Index Definition.

The new index weight values can be used with the following parameters:

  • &index=

  • &collection=

  • &bbindex=

  • &bbcollection=

  • &expandindex=

  • &expandcollection=